These beautiful Chotki Prayer Beads feature 8mm Riverstone gemstone beads, a 10mm Riverstone gemstone bead separating the 50 beads into two sections of 25 beads each, has a silver Crucifix from Italy and a silver 3 way connector with silver pins and chain. The linked style is easier to handle in your your hands, and will outlast the knotted style.

This crucifix is beautifully detailed all the way around.

Traditionally, the Chotki Prayer beads are not made in the linked style like a lot rosaries are. Since I made this in the linked style, I added the 3 way connector in place of a spacer bead to bring it all together.

I will be making the Chotki Prayer Beads with 33, 50, 100, 150 and 300 beads. I do take special orders, so if you see something you like, but would maybe like a different color or gemstone, please contact me @ littlegems@moment.net and I will make one for you.

Jesus Prayer Beads

The rediscovery of ancient spiritual practices in the contemporary church has led many Protestant, Anglican and Roman Catholic Christians to the “Jesus Prayer” or “Prayer of the Heart.” This form of prayer—first practiced by monks of the Eastern church in the fifth century—gradually leads the believer beyond words to silent contemplation of God's loving presence. It is often called "breath prayer" because repetition of a sacred text is coordinated with the body's natural rhythm of breathing, a practice that slows the metabolism and helps to focus the mind and heart. Unlike similar methods of prayer in other religions, the Jesus Prayer is specifically Christian and centers on the name of Jesus.

The Jesus Prayer, also called the Prayer of the Heart, can be prayed by anyone.

A prayer rope (chotki in Russian, komboskini in Greek) is a loop of knots, usually made of wool but sometimes of wood, that is used to keep track of the number of prayers which have been said. It is usually used with the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Historically it typically had 100 knots, although prayer ropes with 300, 50, or 33 knots or, less commonly, 250 or 12 can also be found in use today. There is typically a knotted cross at one end, and a few beads at certain intervals between the knots. "The purpose is to help us concentrate, not necessarily to count."

Its invention is attributed to St. Pachomius in the fourth century as an aid for illiterate monks to accomplish a consistent number of prayers and prostrations. Monks were often expected to carry a prayer rope with them, to remind them to pray constantly in accordance with St. Paul's injunction in I Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."

For more information about Chotki Prayer Beads and praying the Jesus Prayer, please follow this link to read an article written by Andy Lang.